


The Thing About LARP

by MagpieMorality



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Inspired by my LARP, Just a cute something for a birthday having friend, LARPing, M/M, Oneshot, sort of fantasy setting?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-24
Updated: 2019-05-24
Packaged: 2020-03-13 14:57:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18943276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagpieMorality/pseuds/MagpieMorality
Summary: Tiny lil' fic as a birthday gift. I LARP on the reg and I was inspired to write something because hey, write what you know!Anyway, not set in a specifc LARP but hopefully embodying the spirit of it.Happy birthday bob!





	The Thing About LARP

 

 

 

 

 

The thing about LARP is you get sucked in really quickly. Soon you stop noticing people are playing a role and start to believe, _truly believe_ what they’re saying and doing and caring about. And often you don’t ever know who you’ve spoken to.

 

Bucky can count at least four people he knows fairly well by character but has never exchanged more than a nod with before or after an event. And he was about to add a number five…

 

 

\---

 

 

It’s been a long, wonderful first day when Bucky sees him. Technically he’s not Bucky right now- right now he’s a mythical warrior known around their LARP world as Sergeant Winter. He commands armies in battle and fights enemies in their hundreds (and it’s all really fucking cool okay) and he drinks ale and mead with his soldiers afterwards.

 

The night is setting in and the fires are being lit, and as Bucky heads for his camp he spots a tall, handsome elf having a blazing row with someone who appears to be a troll of some kind. It seems things are calming down as some of the roving guardsmen arrive, and Bucky draws nearer. The elf is vehemently swearing that the troll tried to poison his best friend, and the troll is starting to sweat (it's not so much a row as a chewing out, he realises). When the troll bolts it’s not really much of a hardship to take a few steps into his path and catch the guy- with a quick murmur to check he’s alright being manhandled, because it’s only polite- so he can be hauled off to jail. The elf looks at him in surprise and recognises him from his armour, it would seem, because he’s greeted with a warrior’s handshake and a respectful dip of the head. Oh and the elf thanks him by name, that too. But he likes to think his custom armour with the snowflake embossed pauldrons helps.

 

“Seriously, it’s been a long bit of work trying to figure it out. It wasn’t very serious but it’s our way to have justice and I had to try. They’ll take care of him now, I hope,” the elf says, and Bucky gives him a sympathetic nod and a smile, and accepts the invite round to drink by his fire later on.

 

He departs that meeting full of intrigue and butterflies, and, spoiler alert, that feeling will follow him in the elf’s company for a while.

 

While they drink he learns the elf is a Captain called Nomad, climbing the ranks of command himself. They trade stories and tips and after a few hours when Bucky begs off to go to sleep he realises he’s barely spoken to anyone else gathered around the camp. From the knowing look Nomad’s dark-skinned friend gives him it had been noticed. The look isn’t friendly, and Bucky shudders because damn, elves could be scary. Even if they were just people with pointy ears. It really was so easy to get sucked in.

 

 

\---

 

 

 

Another thing about LARP is the emotional immediacy of it all. Everything feels stronger and more and hits you harder. Steve could sometimes barely breathe with the pride he felt, or the sorrow or anticipation or fear or any number of things, stronger than he'd ever felt them out in the real world. But right now, three events after meeting Winter, he knew that the strongest one would be love.  
  
How much of it was Nomad and how much of it was him, he wondered? Because it was never that easy to untangle those cords, and it was slightly disconcerting at times. But Winter was… everything. He was beautiful and powerful and capable and kind and so, _so_ alive. They’d known each other- hah, for a given definition of 'known' and 'each other'- for almost a year now, over seven weekend events and a scattering of optional ones, and they had _never spoken_. At this point Steve was a little afraid to break the spell, but he was also starting to think that maybe he should mention this?

 

They were known as fast friends- best friends- inseparable both on and off the battlefield. Steve was commanding more and more battles and Winter was sharing responsibility with some newer faces, taking more time out for politics. He’d confessed that he felt like his luck was running out and Steve’s heart had genuinely lurched at the thought. He’d felt nauseous and Winter had clearly understood because he caught Steve by the back of the head and knocked the foreheads together. “I’ve got to think of my future now, Cap,” he'd teased gently, eyes fond and soft and they were very close but-

 

That hadn’t been their first close moment and it hadn’t been the last. They teetered and they knew it, and everyone else knew it.

 

It came to a head one Autumn weekend. They marched to battle together, which was unusual but called for. It was a large battle and an important one and Winter was calling it his last. Steve was nervous, shifting side to side as they waited for the horns to start the march, eyes glancing constantly along the line to where Winter stood, calm and regal out in front of the rest, his hand resting easily on the pommel of his sheathed sword.

 

He looked beautiful and Steve loved him. He would never say, because it was common enough in LARP that a person would be entirely different to their character, or live far away, or be in a relationship but playing at romance on the field, and any one of those discoveries would be heartbreakingly disappointing at this stage.

 

He turned his head forwards and steeled himself, missing the glance that Winter shot his way, and then they were finally on the move.

 

The battle had begun.

 

 

 

\---

 

 

 

Bucky strode evenly forwards, leading the way and enjoying the heavy sway of his cloak behind him with each step. He would never have chosen to give up battling if he hadn’t had the magical reading that cast his character's future into doubt and gave him some meaty conflict to play out, which had been worth it. And it had been worth it for Nomad and the building of their fictional relationship, because nothing created bonds like indecision you needed advice on and some juicy character development.

 

He loved that damn elf, and he’d decided to tell him after this battle. As Winter, sure, but it would count enough to satisfy Bucky’s external crush on the guy under the costume, because he was _so sure_ he was just as wonderful as Nomad and he’d done enough observing to theorise that Nomad was just a gorgeous single man playing a gorgeous single elf. But who knew? So the confession would be as Winter and he hoped Nomad returned his feelings and then…

 

Then they’d _have_ to have a conversation outside of the event, even just to establish boundaries and agree on their backstories between events. Surely. They _have_ to. (Not that he was hoping for that to turn into their big gay love story but he really was.)

 

A warcry rang out a few paces along from him, from someone stood between him and Nomad, and they exchanged a look behind the other commander’s back, nodding and clasping their fists over their chests. It felt like the right thing to do (and it looked cool as shit).

And then battle was upon them, and it took less than a breath to lose track of each other.

 

 

-swords smack, enemies laugh and taunt and jab and jeer-

 

-brief stop, the ref calling out the order, getting someone out of there, back to it-

 

-nothing fancy about this fighting; nothing like the movies; because you’re trying too hard to _hit_ and not _be hit_ by long things-

 

\- protect the medic, patching a friend, but he has to get back to the front to lead and-

 

-it’s loud, ringing in his ears, and there he is; he looks _indestructable_  with his long brown hair flying with every movement but-

 

 

 

_Bucky gasps._

 

 

 

The enemy is starting to retreat but Nomad is still fighting a rogue combatant slightly behind them and a clump peel off from the rest and race _right for him_ and before Bucky can think he’s running too, running to catch up, heart dropped to his stomach and it’s _so real_.

 

He and a few other loyal fighters dispatch the band quickly, and there are too many people around and not enough _healers_ because Nomad is down and more importantly; he’s counting under his breath (and when the count starts there's only so much time left and only healing will help. he doesn't have any way left of saving the elf, not even with all of his skills).

 

So this is it for them, the end of their journey together. 

 

_No. It wasn't meant to be him._

 

Bucky sobs, caught off guard by the swell of it. People start to gather, getting too close and he cradles Nomad, who has stopped counting to tiredly and sadly look up at him. A medic appears, whispers to him but no, they shake their head, fussing and leaving him bloodied and dirtied and Bucky bows over him with genuine anguish.

 

It feels like the whole field is watching but Bucky doesn’t care anymore. Nomad lifts a hand and he catches it, holding it to his cheek. And then, as Nomad smiles in what is meant to be reassurance, he can tell, he bends (and hopes this is okay because they’ve never once spoken about it) and presses the gentlest of kisses to his lips. Nomad gasps softly, and the drama of the moment must sweep him up too because when Bucky pulls back Nomad has closed his eyes and his head lolls.

 

He howls.

 

 

 

 

\---

 

 

 

 

The noise coming from Winter is harrowing. He almost feels bad, but it had been _so damn perfect_. Everyone dreams of their own LARP movie moment and goddamn had this ticked the box...

 

He knows the rules well enough to play this moment how it deserved, and honestly he’s mostly holding still so well because he’s in shock from that perfect, tragic kiss.

 

Winter carries him, demonstrating strength that Steve would like to get better acquainted with- unusual for a LARPer and for a LARPer in plate armour after a battle. Steve isn’t light, but at least his own armour is all leather and nothing heavier.

 

They whisk his body away once the appropriate rites are done, and Steve trots off to get changed into his backup costume- it comes with a mask to avoid awkward encounters right after a death- for the rest of the weekend.

 

He lurks a lot, watching his Winter mourn and play it up so very well. He’s proud of what they created and he’s proud of how well Winter is acting the part and he’s proud of himself for helping.

 

And he’s particularly proud of his boost of confidence when, as the site starts to pack down and people take down their tents, he walks over to Winter and holds a hand out.

 

Winter pulls him into a hug and people nearby cheer, yells of praise for the scene they’d created. “So, I guess that’s the end of us, on the field…” Steve says eventually, when things have died back down. His mouth twists ruefully, because he knows it wouldn’t be right now to shoehorn in a simple replacement Nomad, and he wants to try something new anyway.

 

Winter makes a similar face. “God it’s gonna be weird as fuck,” he sighs, and Steve snorts softly. “But, it’s not necessarily the end of us off the field?” The brunet carries on, and Steve grins immediately. “Cause I kinda want to get to know you, if that’s okay. We’ve got a lot to talk about! And you’re cool, cause no way are you not just like Nomad and honestly Winter is just me but cooler so-” Steve cuts him off with a tight hug.

 

“I’d love to. I’ll add you on Facebook, okay? I don’t use it much, but it’s good for staying in touch, right?” Winter nods eagerly and Steve’s heart lights up.

 

“Great! Add me, I’m Bucky. Bucky Barnes.” And so begins a beautiful friendship.

 

 

(And a big gay love story too)

 

 

 

 

 

 

(and if, when Winter inevitably dies- throwing himself into battle out of grief and sacrificing himself to save a cluster of healers- a pair of newlyweds show up with suspiciously familiar faces that people smile at and occasionally greet by the wrong name; well, that’s just one more thing about LARP, isn't it?)

 

THE END

 

 


End file.
